As far as anyone who pledges allegiance to the Boston Red Sox is concerned, this seemingly never-ending winter will officially be put to rest on Monday.

Jon Lester is scheduled to get the start on the mound when the Red Sox begin defense of their World Series title against the Orioles in Baltimore with the first pitch set for 3:05 p.m.

Under the direction of manager John Farrell the Red Sox completed one of the most impressive U-turns in franchise history, improving from 69 wins in 2012 to 97 wins, becoming only the second major league club to go from last place in its division to World Series winner in one season (the 1991 Minnesota Twins were the first to accomplish this feat).

From the start of last year to the Series-clinching final out against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park, Boston's Bearded Wonders pieced together a collection of hardball memories that will forever be replayed in the DVD of the mind of Red Sox fans everywhere.

So what does the 2014 edition of the Red Sox do for an encore? Could they possibly duplicate the magic of 2013?

It won't be easy, but the Red Sox can certainly pick up where they left off last October. Remember, the Red Sox have plenty of experience when it comes to producing "Impossible Dream" seasons.

On paper, the defending champs likely don't even project as the best team in what should be a highly-competitive American League East, never mind the best ballclub in all of Major League Baseball. But hardly anyone picked the Red Sox to win last year, either.

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While the starting rotation (Lester, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Felix Doubront, Jake Peavy) and a bullpen headed by closer Koji Uehara are solid, the Red Sox enter the season with plenty of questions surrounding the everyday starting lineup.

Will projected opening day center fielder Grady Sizemore stay healthy for the long haul and come close to replacing the numbers produced by Jacoby Ellsbury (.298 BA, 92 runs, 52 steals in 2013), who signed a free agent deal with the New York Yankees?

Will the left side of an infield that features rookie Xander Bogaerts at shortstop and Will Middlebrooks at third base be able to make all the plays that matter in the field and produce consistently at the plate?

Will 37-year-old catcher A.J. Pierzynski be able to post numbers similar to those of former Red Sox backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia (14 homers, 40 doubles, 65 RBI), who signed as a free agent with the Marlins?

At age 38, does David Ortiz have another 30 homer, 100 RBI season left in him?

Many of these question marks could eventually prove to be exclamation points. But just as many things broke the Red Sox way in 2013, a lot will have to go right this season in order for the Red Sox to replicate last year's success.

The biggest road block in the Red Sox' bid to repeat is playing in the American League East, which could be the best division top to bottom in baseball.

With another year of experience under their belt, a Tampa Bay Rays' starting rotation headed by David Price could be better than ever, and you have to believe Evan Longoria is due for an MVP caliber season.

In the hope that Derek Jeter's last hurrah is an especially loud one, the Yankees have bought their way back into the contention with the addition of free agents Ellsbury, Brian McCann (catcher), Carlos Beltran (outfield) and Masahiro Tanaka (pitcher).

Despite the presence of sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion in the heart of the order, don't expect the Toronto Blue Jays to fly up near the top of the standings. However, Toronto is better than the projected cellar-dwelling clubs in most divisions and will win its share of games.

Still, you have to believe Boston has enough talent to make the playoff cut. But enough with the speculation. Let the games begin!

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